neil jones, london
It isnt just Welsh names. A friend of mine was once asked the way to lurgerburger [loughborough].
Geraint, Rhuthun
I'm sick and tired of listening to Jeremy Vine on his radio programme refer to the Radio 2 allotment at "the Ronda Valley". Here in Dyffryn Clwyd, I've heard Cyffylliog refered to as 'Cufflink', Cerrigydrudion as 'Kerwick-why-drydian', Dolgellau as 'Doll-Jelly', Gellifor as 'Jellyfer', Hirwaun as 'Her-whine', Moel Fammau as 'that-mountain-with-the-tower-on-top' and Clawddnewydd as 'Claude Newidi'
john wilce from Andalucia
the most popular bottled water on the costadel sol is called LANJARON.Its from the Sierra Nevadas ("snowy mountains") and pronounced LAN+HARONDoes this ring any bells in the delightful village of LLANHARAN in the Vale ofGlamorgan? Was St Haran Welsh or Spanish?
Nantyffyllon
when people from outside Maesteg try to ask for Nantyffyllon it brings a smile to my face
Fiona, Welsh girl now in Germany
I was once asked the way to Unis-wibble. Delivery man's best effort at pronouncing Ynysybwl !! My sister's ex-boss came from Manchester & always had a problem with Ystrad Mynach .... he just said it as it is written "Why-strad-my-nach" !!
Helen from Essex
After believing my Granny was born and lived in Wattstown, I now discover she was actually born in Blaenllechau! Wattstown was easy to master - I have no idea how you pronounce Blaenllechau! Makes learning Russian seem easy!
anne thomas
llanfairyngornwy &llanystymdwy are 2 quite difficult ones! rhosllanerchrugog is the correct spelling. most annoying mispronuncication? my choice is the t.v.ad for dan yr ogof caves,not very good when they're promoting a welsh attraction !
Sue in Bristol
A friend needs to know how Abersychan is pronounced please. This part of your vast site is very useful tool on the best and most helpful site in the world. Good old BBC!
Robin Townsend from Wem, Shropshire
I must have heard every possible pronunciation of the Llyn (Lleyn) Peninsular. But which is the correct one?
Ioan in Australia
I'm with Gareth, you can't get past "Ynysybwl"!Although I once had a "saes" ask the way to "Amel-witch" while at the Urdd in Amlwch. Ha ha
Lilli from Cannock Chase
HI, Ive been spending much of my freetime in the breathtakingly beautiful Dovey valley mid wales over the past 8 years, and althought the welsh language still baffles me, I have to admit that once you begin to understand the pronunciations, the language becomes poetically beautiful. So, here are my top 10 place names sure to get your tongue bleeding as you try to extract it from between your front teeth. EGLWYSFACH, BWLCH, YR WYDDGRUG, MACHYNLLETH, LLYN CLYWEDOG, YNYS HIR, LLANBRYNMAER,LLWYNYPIA, LLANRWST, LLECHWEDD,
Haydn Thomas
YNYSDDU is almost impossible to pronounce for most non welsh speakers, I have heard it called "wine us a do do" by an English friend
Matt Meaney
Please excuse my spelling (I'm English!!). I think the Welsh word for Mold - Yr Wyddgrug is probably a good contender for one that doesn't roll off the tongue!Matt
Ellen from Trealaw
Blaenlechau has to be a difficult name to pronounce. I have often wondered what it means.
Ned from Ponciau
Slightly different, was once stopped by an American in Leicester asking the way to "Luggaboroo" (Loughborough)
Jeff Lang from Glais, Swansea
Someone has mentioned Cwmrhydyceirw earlier, but there's a road in Heol Las, nr Birchgrove, Swansea called Gwernllwynchwyth Road. That's a tongue twister!
John Leek
When I lived in Aberystwyth, someone stopped his car and asked 'Scuse me, how do I get to peely weely?' (Pwllheli, I assumed). So I said, 'Just go up the road to Machynlleth, head for Dolgellau, over Trawsfynydd, down through Penrhyndeudraeth, and Porthmadog, and you can't miss it'. He looked gravely me for fully a minute. 'Is that the quickest way?' So, I told him, yes. 'Damn' he said, 'Is there a pronounceable way?'
Frankie from Welshpool
I once heard a woman pronounce Llanymynech as Lan-a-man-eck and Machynlleth as Match-un-let!!
June from Pen
Llanfairfechan
Stu, Carms
Ystradfelle - how do I say it and, more importantly, what can it mean?
Joe from Cwmbran
Which is correct for Hirwaun? Urwin or Her-wayne?
Steve Danes, Llandudno
Has anyone mentioned Harlech?
Sian, Abertawe
Gwersyllt is definitely up there.
Catherine from Michigan
I moved from Wales at age 8 so many Welsh place names are hard for me, but I would have to say that Machynlleth is one of the hardest. I know how to pronounce all of the syllables but can never get it to come out right!
Brian Kelly, Aberdyfi
I've heard Dolgellau pronounced "Doggy Loo"not very complimentary to the locals there!
Amanda Thomas - Beulah, Powys
We always smile when we hear people trying to pronounce Llanwrtyd Wells
lesli from neath
I always had trouble as a child with Blaenllechau in the rhondda, bit of a mouthful!
Beki from Barry
It's not so much the place names that bother me, but the street names. The best one I heard was 'Cuddy coyd' instead of cudd y coed. But the place name that i find funny when people mispronounce is Rhiwbina as many tend to call it ribena
Dylan Marker from Ontario
I was born and brought up in Llanelli, also a tounge twister, but non Welsh people pronouncing PWLL was an endless form of entertainment for us locals.
Roger Lewis from Port Angeles WA USA
I was born in Pentyrch, near Cardiff. Try and get your tongue around the last 5 letters. Most people used to call it Penturk.
PH, Now in England [sorry]
Hasn't Richard Jones got the spelling wrong? I'm not 100% certain but I would have thought it was 'Rhosllanerchrhugog'? Despite being Welsh I have no idea what it means!
Margaret Jones Manchester
I once met Americans who were touring North Wales. They spoke about seeing the Falls at 'Betsy Co-ed'. I knew they meant Betws y coed!
Ioan Gwyn, Aberystwyth
Best one I ever heard was someone asking my mate for directions to "us-stump-shun". He was looking for Ystumtuen.
Sarah, Y Trallwng
Lots of folk around here call Trewern 'Trow-wurn'(to rhyme with bough & burn). We are a bit close to the border though...with a fair few non welsh speakers.
Colin Williams from Manila
My vote goes to the highest village in Wales, Bwlchgwyn near Wrexham.
James o'r Felinheli
The best one I've heard is for a little village in Pen Llyn. Someone asked, "Can you tell me where Why Four is please young man?" I couldn't for the life of me decipher where they were trying to go until it dawned on me the day after that they were trying to go to Y Ffôr!
Rita Quinn from Leicester
When living in Morriston, a delivery driver from London asked how to get to Gorsey Onion?Gorseinon was his true destination.
Rita Quinn from Leicester
When living in Morriston, a delivery driver from London asked how to get to Gorsey Onion. Gorseinon was his true destination.
Gareth from Caerffili
Someone once told me he had just moved to be near Astrid. I asked who Astrid was. He told me witheringly he was living in Astrid My Nack. Oh, I said , I think it is near Ystrad Mynach!
Ray Ricketts from Aberystwyth
Being brought up in Barmouth and working all my life in the area, I've come across some cracking mis-pronunciations. Tie-whine (Tywyn), Tal why bont (Tal y Bont), Muck and fluff (Machynlleth), Pillywilly (Pwllheli), Blaaa (Bala), Penrhyn dew drop (Penrhyndeudraeth) and two from Americans - Aberee saint whyth (Aberystwyth) and, asking directions - Blue now festerog (Blaenau Ffestiniog)
David Davies Ellesmere Port
When I lived in Pontypridd an English lorry driver asked for directions to Aber sigh non. A look at his delivery instructions showed that he meant Abercynon.
S.Davies, (PEN Y GRAIG, not PENNY GRAIG)
Do we say LUN DUN or LON DON ?How about KIRKUDBRIGHTSHIRE ? Many ENGLISH words are pronounced strangely e.g. CUVENTREE.How about CHOLDMONLY (Chumley)Don't confine mis-pronunciations to the Welsh language.
Paul from Borth
I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Dolgellau yet...Dolly-gelloo is the popular mispronounciation of it (with the "g" as in "great", not as in "gelatine").Mind you, I work in Machynlleth, and that's pretty much an impossibility for some (Makunlet anyone?)
Meinir USA
My grandmother was from Gwauncaegurwen, in the Amman valley, easy for us locals but quite a problem for non welsh speakers.
Russell from Dinas Powys
I can speak Welsh but I have always struggled with Caergwrle (between Wrexham and Mold). I admit it's easier to pronounce it as the locals do: Cae Girly
Amanda, from Neyland,
The funniest thing is hearing a non welsh person asking for "Tret ee oo" campsite in St Davids. What they actually mean is Tretio, and as for Trefin............Not Tre Vine Please. I think the best way to confuse non locals is the accent on certain places, take Haverfordwest, no one local calls it that, its Hafod, ( although I have heard some one from abroad call it Westie)and its not Hakin is Akin. Ubberston (hubberston). I love our accent and welsh name places.
Russell from Dinas Powys
I can speak Welsh but I have always struggled with Caergwrle (between Wrexham and Mold). I admit it's easier to pronounce it as the locals do: Cae Girly
Glenys Bowen from Boncath
EGLWYSWRW defeats most visitors to the area. My favourite of the many variations is EgglooseWiggleWoggle
Joel, Bridgend
Llanfihangel yr Arth.It's the two "r's" that cause the problem.
Gareth from Ynysybwl
I remember as a teenager Cilla Black visiting the Former Lady Windsor Colliery. Cilla had difficulty is pronouncing the name - so was advised to say 'Aniseedball'Another story that makes me laugh is of a lady catching a bus to 'Rhyd Y Defaid - in the Swansea area - on purchasing a ticket - she asked for a single to 'Ruddy Deaf-aid'. That one still makes me laugh!
David Llewellyn ,France
As a native Welsh speaker and former resident of Rosebush in Pembrokeshire, many non-Welsh speakers had problems with Mynachlogddu. Llanystumdwy near Cricieth posed a greater problem.
Sally, Llanrwst
Now I've learnt Welsh I can easily cope with Dwygyfylchi, which baffles many a visitor (I've even heard it called Dirty Filthy). But I still struggle with Machynlleth.
Owen Williams, Swansea
Many English and non-welsh speakers have a probelm saying Waunarlwydd (near Swansea), the most common way of saying it is "one eye lid"
Sean from Llanrhos
Stumps me everytime, Dwygyfylchi, near Conwy. One vowel and they stick it in at the end of the name! I'm no welsh speaker, but trying!
Petula Matthews, Ammanford
LLANELLI/LLANGENNECH or any word with a 'LL' or with a 'CH' in it. I'm tired of hearing 'Laneli'.
Vivien Goldberg
Machynlleth has got to be in there with a chance. Say it, don't spray it!
Math, Montgomeryshire
Llansantffraid-ym-mechain.
Lancer fried ya machine!
Joy Ochola(nee Lauder)
I was born and brought up in Ystradgynlais. The funniest attempt at the pronunciation I can remember was by an American who called it Why strangle us?
Wendy from Rhondda
Llanfairynghornwy on Anglesey is a tough one to pronounce.
Frankie from Welshpool
How about Llanllwchaiarn near Newtown!
ginny swansea
Cwmrhydyceirw - can't spell it let alone pronounce it!
Richard Jones from Chesham
How about Rhosllanerchrugoch, near Wrexham. That must be a bit difficult for some!
Richard Brooks from Ton-Pentre
I think that Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant is a bit of a tounge twister for a non welsh speaker.
Gerwyn Evans Caldicot
I have no difficulty with Welsh place names but one which I know gives problems to some is Penrhyndeudraeth.
